UEFA drops disciplinary case against Super League clubs

UEFA has nullified its disciplinary action against breakaway Super League clubs Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus after a Madrid court ruled the European football confederation could not sanction the three clubs.

UEFA had attempted to bar the trio from the Champions League, Europe's biggest club competition, for refusing to renounce the Super League project — an attempt in April by 12 clubs to form a breakaway continental league that collapsed after 48 hours.

But a Spanish court injunction in June led to the European governing body initially pausing the disciplinary case. A renew demand last week from a Madrid judge for UEFA officials to comply with the ruling not to sanction the clubs led to the disciplinary case being officially scrapped on Monday night.

"Following the stay of proceedings against FC Barcelona, Juventus FC and Real Madrid CF, in the matter related to a potential violation of UEFA’s legal framework in connection with the so called 'Super League,' the UEFA Appeals Body has declared today the proceedings null and void, as if the proceedings had never been opened," UEFA's appeals body said in a statement.

What is the Super League?

In April, 12 clubs from England, Spain and Italy announced the formation of the European Super League, a breakaway competition designed to compete with the Champions League. The financier of the project was later revealed to be JP Morgan Chase, an American investment firm.

The clubs included Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham from England; Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Real Madrid from Spain; and AC Milan, Inter Milan and Juventus from Italy.

The league also attempted to recruit German sides Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund as well as perennial French champions Paris Saint-Germain, but the clubs refused.

The breakaway league was announced on the eve of UEFA approving changes to the Champions League, reforms which appear to favor clubs from Europe's top leagues.

The league collapsed rapidly after clubs faced widespread backlash, including from UEFA and world football body FIFA. The English clubs were first to leave the project after outrage from their own fans and the British government. That led AC Milan, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid to follow suit, but Barcelona, Juventus and Real Madrid stood by the project.

Fine dropped for other Super League clubs

The nine clubs who renounced the Super League had reached a settlement with UEFA which would see them forfeit 5% of their prize money from a single season in European competition and pay a combined €15 million ($17.5 million) as a "gesture of good will." 

But after dropping the disciplinary case, UEFA announced that it would "not request payment of any of the payment offered in the May declaration of the clubs, as long as the court proceedings in Madrid involving, among others, UEFA are pending."

UEFA also said it would "continue to take all necessary steps, in strict accordance with national and EU law, in order to defend the interests of UEFA and of all football stakeholders."

dv/mp (AP, Reuters)